More Visual Design Sketches
Now that I know the premise of my game and most of the details, I can go about working up my ideas for the final UI and visual design. I still want it to take inspiration from the work I posted in my art direction posts on this blog, but this gives you an idea of the scenes in action. These where just quick sketches on scrap bits of paper, and I'll be drawing them up properly for my Poster Presentation on the 11th.
The two images above represent different aspects of the visuals of the game. On the left is an idea of the starting scene, and the UI that might be present. The Clock in the top right tells you how long you've lasted, and the counter in the top left tells you percentage of the screen covered by fog. As the game goes on this will increase, and decrease as you batter fog objects away.
The second image details some of the things that might appear as the game goes on. I imagine these popping up or walking onto the screen depending on what they are. It would be nice if I can get data on the amount of CO2 each item puts in the atmosphere, and then translate that accurately into the game, though that's a lot of maths, and Id rather work on the physics of the game itself. But yeah that's some ideas for now. I don't think I'll open Photoshop on these until after Christmas, but I'll do some more sketches beforehand for sure.
Tutoial Write Up – 20/11/09
Last Friday was our 3rd tutorial with Ben at the Pervasive Media Studio. The sessions are going really well, and I'm really pleased with how my project is developing. Its probably the module I'm happiest with at the moment.
Ive been working a lot on how my project would now run and work once its finished. Ive been doing a lot of thinking and sketching, and talking with Ben and my tutorial group. Bellow is a summary of progression I've made on the idea. Its just a simple list as I've got loads of work to do, and can't be bothered to write it up properly.
- The Game would be an Interactive Installation at @Bristol
- Aimed at 8-12 year olds
- Have to make it satisfying to the user
- Accessible to the Kids
- Give Visual Feedback
- Fading light
- Pop up Buildings
- Aim of the game is to fend of the end of the world by bashing away CO2
- The longer you play, the harder it gets
- "How long can you survive" kinda style
- Eventually the loser would always lose - highlighting Impact of CO2
- Convert Facts and figures into something more understandable
- kids wont care about %'s of CO2, but change this to years
- "You fended of the apocalypse for 21 years"
- "thanks to you, the planet will now survive until 2050"
- "your actions are equivalent to 5,000 less cars on Britain's roads"
- Make the target a superhero, can add your face into the game
- Makes it a bit more fun
- Game is also justified as its both active (jumping around) and educational (CO2 impact)
An extensive list I know. I also now have a list of action plans for the next two weeks. These are:
- Visual Design Sketches
- Continue work on my Prototype by trying to add mass to my blob
- Define out the scope a bit more, what I'm going to attempt to achieve, what the final product would be
- Bring all my work so far into a poster.
More motion play
This one seems to be buggy for some reason, but there you go. You should be able to hit the green blob, and every time you hit it it will move 20 pixles right. Its a start at least.
Game Idea Sketches
Just sketched out some ideas for the levels of the new game idea, just to demostrate how it might work. Something to bring to the tutoiral next week.
As you can see this simple idea just has 3 levels. Each based on real facts and figgurs I can get my hands on. The levels get progresivly harder, untill the last one where its imposible to win. I'm starting to really like this.
Re-thinking my Project
One of the key things that came out of yesterdays tutoiral, apart from the laundry list of deliverables I need to complete between now and my poster session was the reasons behind my project. Though the idea was cool, there wasnt a reason for the webcam asspect of it. It just felt a bit stuck on cos it was cool, which in reality it was, but I shouldnt mention that really.
During the tutorial Ben mentiond that maybe it could be a game. This is an idea I liked a lot. Children and to a certain extent adults wont want to use something where from the upfront you are ust learning about something. However learning though play is fun, as you dont realise your learning.
So, now I'm thinking the game will keep the same ideas, but now the object is to clear the screen of all the CO2 by waving it away. I can use real stats and figures to create levels, with each one being a diffrent city or time, each getting harder and harder. The last level could be a point in the future, which has a timer, but, you can never win. Thus highlighting the problem of rising CO2 levels.
I quite like this idea, but then again I liked all my othr ideas. So I've developed an action plan of steps to clarrify my idea.
- Focus group the idea and see what people come up with, and their feelings about my idea.
- Create some initial sketches of level ideas and UI
- Present these at the next tutorial.
Progress Review 2 – Friday 13th November
Work Completed So Far
We’ve now had two tutorials with Ben from Thought Den at the Pervasive Media Studio, and so far they are going great. Ben is really helping to shape my ideas, and fill some holes in the project which is great. I’ve got a lot of new ideas, and think I have finally decided on some of the details for my project, which I’ll save for another blog post. I’ve also started prating around with flash, the products of which can be seen in previous blog posts.
Evaluation of Work So Far
So far I feel my work is going pretty well. I am pleased with my progress in most areas, but can see that maybe I’m lacking in a few more. My poster presentation is less than a month away, and in reality I haven’t got to far with my prototype. Hopefully that will change in the next few weeks now I’ve started working on it.
Unfortunately my research has gone a little slower than I like in the last two weeks as I have been concentrating on other modules due to deadlines, etc. I hopefully with have the time this week to improve on that. I feel I’ve made more progress in the last two weeks than I have in the previous month, which is a nice feeling, but still feel I haven’t done another. An odd situation to be in.
Action Plan
I think my action plan ideas have mostly come out of today’s tutorial with Ben and Dan. Id like to do some primary research in the form of a focus group to bounce around some ideas about my project. Once I’ve done that, id like to use the information and ideas to re-define my project, along with the ideas I’ve already developed in today’s tutorial.
Id also like to continue with my flash development, working on getting towards my prototype plan from a few posts ago. And finally Id like to start creating some deliverables for my poster presentation and progress report due in December. These could include wireframes, mood boards, user journeys etc etc.
Playing With Motion Capture
Ive been playing with Motion Capture!
I've just been hacking apart the Motion Capture code I found at Soulwire. But its looking promising so far. Eek!
Prototypeing my Prototype
One of the things that came out of my first tutorial meeting last week was what was needed for our prototypes. We are expected to show them off in December during our Poster Presentation. The idea is to complete the hardest part of your project first, which for me would be the web cam interaction element. I've always had a clear idea in my head about what my prototype was going to do and how it would look. So, to get this from my head onto paper/screen I decided to make a little animation...
Here, the crosshair represents the point of that the motion capture code I found will generate. The green squares represent Fog Objects. When the crosshair collides with a fog object, they bounce off in the other direction.
I think this is both the most important part, and the most tricky aspect of my project from a technical view at least, which is most likely how I am going get my project marked. So for my prototype I need:
- Capture motion of a user and transmit this to a single point on the screen
- Create randomly placed fog objects around the screen
- Detect collisions between the user and fog objects, and have them bounce of accordingly
If time permits I would also like to include:
- Having the fog objects float around randomly, as in a real fog
- be able to adjust number of fog objects, even if this is manually in the code
- have it working on a web interface, not just a flash environment
Creating this demo has given me a chance to define what I expect to create by December, and more importantly my first little reminder of flash in a few years. Its also shown my flash skills aren't the greatest, so I need to get on with some tutorials.
Continued Research
Designing Glanceable Peripheral Displays
http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2006/EECS-2006-113.htm
- Useful for some background information
- Not really convinced I want my installation to have a high glancability, want to encourage users to stay with it, interact etc
- Covers some good design princibles however, that might entice users to my installation in the first place, and I need to work out how to keep them there.
The Change in Carbon Emissions
http://www.good.is/post/transparency-the-change-in-carbon-emissions/
- Interesting Info Graphic on the percentage increase or decrease of CO2 emissions between 06 and 07
- Has some facts and figures.
- More of interest than anything else
Interesting, Easy, Beautiful, True?
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2009/interesting-easy-beautiful-true/
- Information – Interesting and have Integrity
- Design needs Form and Function
- Getting two of these makes something expectable not great
- Getting 3 just seems to fail
- Getting all 4 will be key
- Overall a useful guide to look at
